Larry Marshall’s mother always told him that one day she would get him on the game show “Jeopardy.”

That day finally arrived in October when Marshall, a junior at MU, flew to Pittsburgh to tape his appearance on “College Jeopardy.”

The 20-year-old from Kansas City auditioned for the show after his mother saw an advertisement in May announcing open tryouts in Kansas City.

Marshall, an English major, didn’t have a chance to study or prepare for the tryouts because he didn’t find out about the opportunity until the day before.

Marshall’s first step to mini-stardom was to take a 10-question test.

“They were probably 10 of the hardest questions I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said.

Marshall competed against about 1,200 people in the first round, doing well on the test and advancing. The next day, he competed against about 40 people, this time taking a longer test. After that, he participated in a mock competition, complete with participants sporting the college sweatshirts they would wear if selected for the real show.

Marshall was chosen as a final contestant and flew to Pittsburgh for the taping. It was his first time on an airplane.

“They liked my energy,” he said, explaining what, other than his knowledge, got him on the show.

Marshall considers himself a trivia buff and said he watched “Jeopardy” almost every weekday while in middle and high school. Although familiar with the game, one aspect during the taping of the show surprised Marshall.

“Alex Trebek is really funny,” he said.

As for the overall experience, Marshall couldn’t decide on the best part. There was the plane ride, but he also found meeting the other 15 contestants from all over the country an awesome experience.

“Pittsburgh is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,” Marshall said.

His parents arrived in Pittsburgh via 20 hours on a bus, thanks to the short notice of the taping and the high costs of flying. Marshall said his parents went through a phase of bragging about his appearance on the show, but lately they have dialed it down some.

“It’ll be back up there when I’m on TV,” he said. “They’re so amazed at me getting there.”

Marshall said he can’t say more about the show because he is bound by a nondisclosure agreement. It prevents him from revealing any of the questions he answered or how he fared.